Opinions wanted

[wolfjon]

Hey guys/gals,
I have a 20+ year old sundance Royale that I have just given up on fixing again so I have been debating getting a new tub or not.
I have a couple of dealers locally and looked at some display or instock models.
The current options I have locally are:
Artesian South seas 735L display model full warranty $5800 with cover and stairs.
Caldera Palentino $6700 cover included have not yet gone there to look at it.
Marquis Hollywood $5500 cover and stairs inc.
Marquis 545 $8500 cover and stairs
I fully plan on wet testing all of them and definitely leaning towards to 2 lower priced models just for affordability and we never used the tub that much but do miss having it.

What are the general thoughts on any of these tubs etc... I am fully aware everyones opinion may vary but a good general consensus always helps.

Thanks,
Wolfjon

[MarKee]

All good spas, I'm partial to the Marquis.  The Hollywood and 545 are great comfortable tubs, wet testing the 545 will give you a really good idea of what the Hollywood will be like.  The Hollywood has slightly less power than the 545; 290 gallons per minute vs. 320 gallons per minute.  You will probably be pleased by the power in either model though.  The Hollywood has perimeter insulation, national average around $21-22 a month, it could cost a bit more in the Northeast.  The 545 has an icynene foam insulation, energy figures around $18 a month national average, it could cost a little bit more in the Northeast.  All of the tubs on your list will probably be more efficient than the old Sundance.  Good luck in your search.

[Hottubguy]

I won't comment on artesian because I know next to nothing about them. The hollywoood is a good value tub and at $5500 it's priced very aggressively. It has a good amount of power and has nice lights that come standard with it. The cons to it are it has a single smaller filter, depending on where in the country you are the insulation isn't the best. On the other hand if you are in a colder climate you can insulate it yourself for a couple hundred bucks. The 545 looks very similar because it's the same shell. It has more power, much better filtration, much better insulation and has a better warranty the. The other tubs you are looking at. I also like the multi level seating in this tub. At $8,500 what options does that include?  The palatino is from the vacancy series of the caldera series. It probably has he best insulation standard of any of the tubs you are looking at. It has 2 good sized pumps as is overall a good tub. It also comes with some cool lighting standard. I don't like the fact that it has a lot of smaller jets but ar that price point that's usually what you get. Marquis is the exception to that rule. There jets will be much more powerful. All 3 are good choices. The palatino is also priced cheaper then what I sell it for. With Marquis and Caldera you are looking at 2 of the better manufacturers. I sell both so if you have any direct questions about either brand feel free to ask me.

[wolfjon]

OK I had a chance to go and wet test the Hollywood, 545, and v94 this weekend. I definitely enjoyed all three tubs but I did not like the insulation on the Hollywood so even though that was better pricing living in Northern NJ i got 2 inches of snow last night I just felt the electrical will cost more in the long run. The Hollywood for $5500 is the demo unit.

The 545 seemed to hit all the spots nicely but $8500 is still more then I really want to spend. That pricing did include the stairs and cover but we would need to order the basic model which would not come in until mid to end of January. The one they had on the floor had the lights inline chem and radio. On that one it was $9100 plus Tax

The v94 was not a longer model which the wife prefers and the pricing was almost the same as the 545. really cool tub with lots of power but definitely out of budget.

 Next stop was the Sundance and South Seas dealer. We were not able to wet test at that time but the wife pretty much ruled out the South seas line she did not like the looks and the shapes of the ones we dry sat in.

Sundance did not have any lounger models wet and the moment and the only lounger they had I could dry test was the Hamilton which was comfortable dry seems to be pretty comparable to the marquis 545 just even more expensive but a longer warranty.

They may have a Peyton 680 model coming in at a lesser price point soon as well that they said they could fill of us may just be a week or to.

I was not able to get to the Caldara dealer and unfortunately it seems like dealers here in Northern NJ all close by 5pm so for those of us that work can only really check out spas on the weekend..
The Palantino pricing was for the floor model they have in stock I believe they are primarily a pool dealer so winters are probably slow for them.

So might not be able to look at anything else for the next 2 weeks since we are travelling up to Boston for Thanksgiving.. Might see if the wife and I can seek of to a dealer up there while the kids stay with Grandparents.

[wolfjon]

Oh and what are you guys opinions on Circulation pumps vs Non up here in the Northern NJ. I do live in an upper area so we are quite often the same outside temp as my parents house up just north of Boston on the NH line.

[Hottubguy]

I wouldn't let circ pumps determine which tub I bought. You are looking at all good brands. You also may want to check out the new vector 77L if the dealer has one of those in yet. I'm expecting my first load of those to come in next week. It's a really therapeutic tub that should be priced between the Hollywood and the 545. You're going to be a bit north of me next week or I would invite you in to give you a good education on hot tubs but I am in southern Mass. There is a good marquis/Caldera dealer up in Amesbury, Ma on the NH border that you could visit while you are in town. Jay is the sales manager their and I'm sure he wouldn't mind giving you a education on both of those lines. Their is also a Sundance dealer close by to where you ar going to be. Happy shopping and enjoy your time up in Mass!

[wolfjon]

Thanks hottubguy. I actually called Jay during my lunch hour to see what their hours are like on Saturday and I may have the time to get over there.
The Marquis Dealer near me did call me yesterday to follow up on my wet test from Saturday and offered me what seems to be a good pricing on the V77 they have a base model coming in next month and they are running No Tax on any models they do not yet have verse anything they currently have on the floor you would have to pay tax on... Not sure on the reasoning on that one other then sales tactic but who knows.
The V77 looks to be a little smaller than I think I want to go and by the looks of it it only has 1 pump not sure if I wanted that either.
Where in southern mass are you? I will be in Stoughton in Friday down at the Jordans Xmas display I go there every year with the kids..

[Hottubguy]

I'm in lakeville, ma which is about 20 miles south of stoughton. The v77L is available with 2 pumps. That is the way I ordered my initial order of them in as. The dealer probably bought a truckload so he is passing on the savings to you

[wolfjon]

So I ended up with a couple of other expenses pop-ing up due to the holidays and decided we were going to hold off on buying something new this year just wasn't in the budget. A couple of the dealers around about a hour away were offering used tubs thought about going that route then over the weekend came across a Hot Spot Mallacora. its a smaller 7x7 tub about 45 minutes away. It was still in the guys backyard hooked up with water in it and trailer access. I was able to go over the tub made sure everything was working and no leaks that I could find. Ended up paying him $700 and that included the GFI panel and wiring plus he gave me a hand pumping it out and loading it on the trailer. May not be the tub of my dreams but at this point its a fully functional tub that I should be able to get another few years out of so I can save up for something a a few steps up.